Digest Highlights: USDA posts delayed dairy checkoff reports. Fluid milk’s downward consumption trend continues. Find a summary of these stories and updates on previous Progressive Dairyman news stories here.

Most know that the farm record system is only as helpful as the information in it. Likewise, all the recorded data is only as beneficial as knowing how to interpret it.

No matter where your personal convictions fall in the legalized marijuana debate, what we have right now is a potential legal mess for many employers.

This upcoming Jan. 17-18, 2018, hundreds of dairy farmers from throughout Wisconsin, the Midwest and the nation will come to the Monona Terrace in Madison, Wisconsin, for Dairy Strong – an exciting conference and trade show. Dairy farmers who register by Nov. 1 are invited to attend Dairy Strong for free.

The University of Wisconsin – Madison has hired a new investigator to look into the case of the misplaced protein.

How do you handle move day? It’s not uncommon to have a big move day once a week. Dry cows move to pre-fresh; new dry cows move to far-off dry pens; post-fresh cows move to high groups. It’s a big merry-go-round.

A proposal under discussion to change the method of calculating federal milk marketing order (FMMO) minimum prices for Class I (fluid) milk could have a significant impact on producer milk prices, according to John Geuss, dairy consultant from Naples, Florida.

More than 208,000 jobs could disappear if we were to eliminate the immigrant work force in the dairy industry. These hard-working folks are performing jobs that, year after year, go unfilled by our domestic workforce.

I received a call while stuck in the Cleveland, Ohio, airport from a farmer who was having some serious employee issues. He drove into his farm one afternoon to find two employees literally fist fighting in the parking lot.

Digest Highlights: Hurricane Irma damage to Florida dairy industry estimated near $12 million. Profitability is mixed in the Northwest. Find a summary of these stories and updates on previous Progressive Dairyman news stories here.